The Master Plan
by Wild Growlithe
Summary: What happens when Ash finds out that the last remaining thing between him and Misty is a plan cooked up by one of his most trusted friends?
1. What's up with Misty?

Disclaimer: Okay, how many people here actually think that I own Pokemon? Anyone? I didn't think so. Hey! Put your hand down, Elise!

A/N: This is a romance, yes, and my very FIRST one. Also my very first pokemon story. Please take that into consideration, k? I put it under the humor category because I will be adding some humor later, but not much in this chapter. Brock lovers, please avoid this story. AAML fans, please read! I'll try my best to please you and I'm open to suggestions! Only one person read my digimon story, so it must really suck. I just hope this one doesn't. Well, I'll stop rambling and get on with the story!

Master Plan

Ages:

Ash: 14

Misty: 15

Brock: 18

Chapter 1: What's up with Misty?

It was, or seemed to be, a perfectly normal day in the pokemon world. Our familiar trio, (or quintet, if you count the pokies) was walking along a dirt path, trying to get to Goldenrod city, which would probably take them several months to reach with all the distractions they go though. Tired from all of their walking, and certain that their pokemon would need a rest too, Ash, Misty, and Brock decided to stop in at a conveniently placed pokemon center.

Ash plopped down on the nearest sofa, Pikachu beside him. "Ahh, it feels good to finally get a rest." he sighed. Misty, hugging Togepi closely to her chest, sat down beside Ash.

"Well, maybe if you'd let us rest more often," she replied, "you wouldn't be so tired right now". Ash gave her an annoyed look.

"What are you talking about? I practically always stop and let us take a break whenever _you_ start whining about how tired you are!" he snapped back. Now Misty was getting ticked off.

"I hardly ever ask you to stop for me, Ash, let alone whine about it!" she retorted, a little more volume in her voice.

"You whine plenty! Always nagging me about something! Whether it's too much walking or I'm not battling right or something, you always have your mouth open!" Ash was shouting now.

"You take that back, Ash Ketchum, I do not!"

"You do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do no-"

The argument was cut short by a voice in the background. "Oh, just ignore the noise, Nurse Joy, it happens all the time. They're so immature, don't you think? I don't know what they'd do without me. Of course, I don't know what I'd do without you either, you're so beautiful, talented...." After listening to Brock's chattering, Misty got up and went to do her newly acquired usual task of going up and pulling the lovesick moron away from the poor girl by the ear. Ash was just left standing in his usual "argument" position. The young pokemon trainer was a little surprised that Misty had just gotten up and forgot about the fight, just like that. _Oh well, _he thought. _that just means I win. _Ash chuckled a bit as he watched Brock being painfully pulled away from his newfound temporary love-interest. But as he laughed at the sight, a different feeling came to him. It was an unpleasant one, it almost felt like.... he couldn't quite pinpoint it. Then again, Ash never was very good with feelings. More thoughts entered the boy's head. _Hmmm... Misty sure has been pickin' on Brock a lot lately.... always pullin' his ear, smackin' him.... she used to do stuff like that to _me,_ not _him_. _Ash suddenly made a surprised face. _Waitaminute... why should that matter to me? She's off my back now. I don't have to worry so much about getting smacked around. Though, I do kinda miss the attention I always got.... Whaa! Why would I want attention from her?? I mean she's always nagging me and being mean, I'm not supposed to enjoy that! But I do.... GAH! No I don't! Do I? I'm confusing myself again! I told myself that too much thinking will hurt my head!! _Ash was snapped out of his thinking trance by Pikachu, who wondered why its trainer suddenly looked so deep in thought. "Pikapi? Pikachu?" it inquired. 

Ash shook his head and turned to Pikachu. "Yeah, everything's okay, buddy, don't worry." _I gotta get these thoughts out of my head, _he thought._ Or they could distract me from my training. _Ash went to Nurse Joy and got his pokemon returned, then called for Misty and Brock to leave.

That night the group camped out in the woods as usual. Brock was asleep in his dark-colored sleeping bag, mumbling something or other about Joy and/or Jenny. Ash was sprawled out on his back, limbs going in every which way, mouth hanging open as he slept with Pikachu cuddled beside him, and Misty was curled up in her own sleeping bag. Togepi was rolled into it's egg position as it slept peacefully, but unlike her pokemon, Misty was wide awake. She gazed over at Ash. _He looks so.... stupid when he's asleep. _She thought with a giggle. _Stupid, but cute. _She sighed. _I still can't believe that I have such strong feelings for someone with his brain capacity. But I guess I wouldn't be here if I didn't. Besides, it's not all brains that matter. He's got lots of good qualities too. He's cute, funny, determined, loyal, sweet, brave, selfless... ::sigh:: If only he'd stop thinking about pokemon long enough to notice that I really care for him. Then maybe he'd care back. I shouldn't dream like that. Even if he did think about things other than pokemon, he'd never love me back. What do I really have to offer him? _

Misty hung her head dejectedly and turned her gaze toward Brock. _And what's the deal with Brock all of a sudden? He's always gone after girls and acted like a goof, why do I suddenly feel obligated to yank his ear? He's so annoying. Sometimes I just wish he'd go away. Then me and Ash could be alone... ::sigh:: I'd better get to sleep._

The next morning the trio (or quintet ^_^) woke up and had breakfast as per usual. Once they were all ready, they hit the road once again. As they were walking down the dirt path, Ash noticed how their walking order had changed over the years. In the beginning, Ash had always walked in the lead or in the middle, but now Brock stood in between him and Misty. Similar thoughts to the ones he was thinking before entered Ash's head. _Just who does he think he is anyway? Ever since Brock came back, he's been takin' my spot. I miss my old place next to Misty.... I mean in the middle! I like the middle! I can't even see her from here... not that that matters!! Jeez, what's wrong with me? These are such small little tiny insignificant changes! No big deal! Though, since Brock came back, there have been a lot of small little tiny insignificant changes goin' on. I mean, way back in the beginning, Misty was always loud and botherin' me and not afraid to voice her opinion. I'm not saying that she doesn't do that stuff anymore, just a lot less. I wonder why. I kinda like her when she's like that, all fiery and bold... WHA! There I go, thinkin' about her again!! I've gotta stop this or it'll become a habit! Still, I do miss my spot... _Ash just harumphed and crossed his arms as he walked. 

Suddenly the group came upon a sign signaling that the next town was not far away. It wasn't Goldenrod, but it was on the way. Ash read the sign out loud: "Welcome to Rosethorn city! Please visit one of our luxury hotels, complete with large swimming pools!" Ash noticed Misty's aqua-colored eyes light up at the mention of large swimming pools. He smiled at her. "Whaddya say, guys?" Ash said with enthusiasm. "Wanna stay here for the day?" Misty was surprised that Ash was willing to give up a day of his pokemon journey to stay here. And something inside her told her that he was doing it for her. Brock's eyebrows turned downward. "I don't think it's such a good idea, Ash." he stated. Ash looked at Brock quizzically. "We've already missed enough time with all the other things we've been doing on the way. At this rate, we'll never get to Goldenrod." Ash knew he was right. But Misty had looked so happy when he suggested it.... Ash was about to disagree with Brock, when Misty spoke up, in a strangely dull voice. "He's right Ash." she said with almost no emotion. Her face had a sort of emotionless look on it as well. "We should keep moving." Ash stared at her, not believing that she didn't want to go. "You sure Mist?" he asked. "Yes, I am." she replied, in the same tone. "Okay then, let's go." Ash said in a sort of confused tone. He started walking off, Pikachu on his shoulder, and his two companions following. 

The group walked in complete silence after that, save for the occasional chirping of Togepi in Misty's arms. As he walked, Ash pondered what could have made Misty act so strangely just then. He glanced over at her, and saw that her facial expression had returned to normal. He just shrugged it off and continued walking. Neither of the two of them noticed an evil glint in Brock's eye, as a wicked smile curved its way onto his lips.....

To be continued.....

Sorry to leave you hanging, but I can't finish this all in one sitting! As I said before, I'm open to suggestions and reviews will be VERY much appreciated. I won't make this one too long, and don't worry, I won't kill anyone or anything like that. And of course, Ash and Misty MUST get together. This is my story after all. Well, sorry if it sucked and was a waste of your time, but if you liked it, the more reviews I get, the more encouraged I'll be to continue faster! ::Okay, shut up now, Growly!::


	2. A Terrifying Secret

A/N: Thank you everyone for the great reviews! I'm so happy that you like my story. I promise to finish this as fast as I can, though I probably won't be able to work on it over the weekend. (my dad doesn't have a computer. -_-) Anyway, in this chapter, Brock's secret will be revealed, team rocket will make an appearance, (a kind of pointless one, but I wasn't even planning to put them in in the first place!) and more stuff will happen.... sorry, didn't want to give it all away! Reviews are always welcome!

Chapter 2: A Terrifying Secret

As always, Ash and his friends continued walking down the path to their next destination. For some reason, Ash couldn't get the earlier incident and Misty's strange behavior out of his mind. He tried to push it away, but it just wasn't working. _I still don't understand why Misty wouldn't wanna go to that town. Grrr... It's buggin' me so much! How could I find out the answer? Maybe I should ask her. Yeah! That's it! I'm a genius. But I don't wanna do it when Brock's around. Hmm... I'll have to find a way to distract him or somethin'..._

Ash-tachi entered a wooded area on the path. Pikachu, seeing how solemn its trainer looked, gave him a pat on the cheek to wake him up. Ash's head perked up and he gave Pikachu a reassuring smile. Pikachu felt more relieved by Ash's gesture, and returned its gaze to the road ahead. 

Yes, the day certainly was normal. Normal as normal could be for Ash and co. There was just one thing missing to make it completely routine. That one thing was.....

"Hahahahahahaa!" laughter echoed through the trees of the forest. All-too-familiar laughter.

"Prepare for Trouble!"

"Make it Double!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"

"Meeeowth! Dat's right!"

Next came Ash, Misty and Brock's stating-the-obvious line: "Team Rocket!" "Pipikachu!" 

"What do you want now?" Ash demanded.

"By now, you shouldn't even have to ask, twerp. We're here for Pikachu!" Jessie proclaimed arrogantly, directing her pointed finger at the electric mouse. "James, prepare to attack!" But James was preoccupied.

"What are you talking about, Meowth?" James whined. "I did nothing to change the motto!"

"Ya did too, Jimmy-boy!" Meowth snapped angrily. "Where on oith did fight, fight, fight come from? It used ta be only one fight, and now dere's tree. What's up wit dat?"

"What's wrong with fight, fight, fight?" James inquired.

"I'll tell ya what's wrong wit it, it makes ya sound like a cheeleadah, dat's what's wrong!"

James looked a bit clueless. "What's wrong with sounding like a cheerleader?" Throughout this conversation, Jessie was getting more and more agitated. She ended their conversation with a quick smack for both of them from her paper fan. "Can we _please_ get back to our plan to steal Pikachu from the brats?!?" she demanded in a voice so intimidating that Meowth and James cringed. "Yes Ma'am!" They replied in unison. Team Rocket then returned their attention to Ash, Misty and Brock, who had been stupidly standing there the entire time. "Prepare for battle, brat!" Jessie yelled.

"I'm prepared to battle you any day of the week!" Ash shot back. The battle ensued.

It was a typical battle, Team Rocket had brought out some retarded giant robot which temporarily grabbed Pikachu. Ash sent out Cyndaquil and Totodile, Brock sent out Vulpix, while Misty just sat on the sidelines, holding Togepi, not bothering to join the battle (even though her help would move things along). Vulpix fought off Arbok and Weezing while Cyndaquil and Totodile attacked the robot to make it drop Pikachu. Pikachu then sent all of Team Rocket flying away with a thunderbolt attack.

Once the dust had settled, Ash noticed that during the fight a strange looking book had fallen out of Brock's backpack. He could see the writing clearly. It read: JOURNAL. TOP SECRET. Brock noticed the book on the floor and Ash glancing at it. He immediately snatched it up and covered it protectively, glaring at Ash. Ash just made a "what's his problem?" face and looked away. Still, the idea of Brock having a secret journal certainly arose Ash's curiosity. Brock wouldn't mind if he just sneaked a tiny peek, while everyone was sleeping, right? Sleeping... that reminded Ash that he was getting tired. "Hey guys, how about we set up camp here?" he suggested. "I'm gettin' kinda pooped." 

"Okay." Misty said.

"That's fine with me." Brock replied.

"Okay, great!" Ash flashed a happy grin that Misty couldn't help but sigh at.

Later, after camp had been set up, dinner had been eaten, and sleeping bags had been prepared, Ash decided it was time to put his "distract Brock" plan into action. He walked casually over to Brock. Upon approaching the breeder, Ash noticed that he was currently writing in the "secret journal" he'd noticed before. As soon as Brock was aware of Ash's presence, however, he slammed the book shut and turned to the young trainer. "Hey Ash, what's up?" He asked in a perfectly relaxed tone.

"Well, uhhh..." _Oops. Guess I really didn't plan what exactly I was gonna say to him, did I? Better think of somethin' quick..... _"Ummm.. have you seen my pokedex anywhere? I can't seem to find it."

"Ash, it's right there, sticking out of your pocket." Brock stated, giving Ash an amused look. Ash started to stammer.

"Oh, uh, right! Of course! In my pocket!" _Oh great job, Mr. genius! Now what?_ "Did I say pokedex? Heheheh, silly me, I meant my lucky...umm... compass! Yeah! I uhh.. think I dropped it out in the woods! Could you... come help me look for it?" Ash gave Brock a sheepish grin.

"I didn't know you had a compass, Ash. How come you never used it when we were lost in the woods all those times?" Brock asked.

__

Crap. He's got me there. Come on... why is thinking so hard when I actually want to do it? "Well, duh. Why would I use it if it's lucky? I wouldn't want anything to happen to it, would I?" _There. That oughtta do it._ Brock just continued to stare at Ash with a puzzled expression until he finally decided to go. "Alright, Ash. I'll help you look." "Thanks Brock! I knew I could count on you!" Ash grinned once again. As the two prepared to leave camp, Ash told Misty they were going to look for something in the woods. "Okay." She said to him. "But please be careful." There was genuine concern in her voice, which caught Ash by surprise. "I will" He said in a gentle tone. For a moment, they stared into each others' eyes, not saying a word. 

"Hellooo! Earth to Ash! Let's go now!" The moment was rudely interrupted by Brock. Misty shot an angry glare at Brock, while Ash just looked confused. "Go where?" he said. "Oh yeah! Right! See ya Misty, be back soon!" Pikachu, who had been playing by the fire with Togepi, got up to go with its trainer. "No Pikachu, you stay here and take care of Togepi and Misty, ok?"

"Chu." The little mouse nodded its head and walked back to its spot near the fire. Ash turned back and waved. "We'll be back soon!" And he and Brock walked off.

"Gee Ash, I don't see that compass anywhere. And we've been out here for quite a while." Brock said to his companion, still searching the dark forest floor with his flashlight.

__

This is so stupid. Of course he doesn't see it, it never existed. Ash thought to himself.

__

Now might be a good time to ditch him. He'll be okay on his own for a little. "Hey Brock, why don't we split up? See that fork up ahead? You take the left and I'll take the right. I can't really remember which side we came from anyway."

"Hmm.... alright. But let's not stay separated for too long, got it Ash?"

"Loud and clear, Brocko. See ya in a few minutes!" _Or a little longer than that._ Once they had split and Brock was out of sight, Ash turned around and bolted in the direction of camp. Miraculously, he made it back without getting lost. There was Misty, sitting by the fire singing Togepi to sleep in her arms. Ash stopped in his tracks and listened to her sweet sounding voice. It soothed him, and made him feel all... warm inside. _Wow, she sounds really nice when she sings.... such a beautiful voice, coming from a beautiful girl... WAH! I'm doing it again! I sound like Brock! I came here to talk, not listen to any dumb singin'. _He finally decided to speak up. "Umm.. Hey Misty." Misty suddenly looked up from her position, embarrassed that she had been caught singing. She blushed.

"Ash! Don't ever sneak up on me like that again!" she hissed, trying to control herself and not wake Togepi up. "I thought that you and Brock were off looking for something!" "Well, uh, we were, but... I decided to wait till morning and Brock wanted to keep looking. So I came back and he stayed." He explained. Misty's face went from annoyed to concerned. "I hope he's okay out there by himself." she said.

__

Grrr... why's she so worried about him?_ It's not like _I_ wasn't in danger out there by myself running back here. Not that I'd _want _her to worry about me! Like she ever would anyway! _Misty noticed the slightly upset look on Ash's face.

__

Hm? I wonder what's making him look so unhappy all of a sudden. I hope I didn't hurt his feelings by yelling at him... poor Ash. I should at least ask what's wrong. Just try not to sound too concerned. "Hey Ash, is something wrong?" Misty asked him half-casually, half-worried. Ash snapped himself out of it again and looked at Misty. Her face looked as if nothing was bothering her, but her eyes betrayed some great worry for him.

"Well, sorta." he answered, sitting beside her. "Mind if I talk to ya?"

Misty blushed slightly, thanking heaven that the light of the campfire covered it up. "Not at all." she said, giving him a quick smile.

Ash felt his heart leap a little when she smiled at him. Her smile gave him that warm, soothing feeling inside. _Woah, that was weird._ he thought._ But kinda nice..._ "Um, well I was kinda thinkin'... ya know, about earlier today." Ash felt himself starting to get nervous. He had no idea why.

"Hm? What do you mean Ash?" Misty inquired, not really knowing what he was talking about.

"Well, uh, when we stopped at the entrance to Rosethorn. It seemed like you really wanted to go, but then you suddenly changed your mind. You were talkin' kinda weird too. I umm... just wanted to know... are you feelin' alright? I mean, it's not like you to act like that." Ash finally exhaled. Why was this so hard to do? All he was doing was talking to his friend.

Misty looked at Ash, surprised. He sounded so sincere, so worried about her. She gave another small smile. "I'm fine Ash. I just... changed my mind, that's all. It just seemed like all of a sudden, that's what my mind was telling me to do. So I listened. It's no big deal."

"Are you sure?" He asked, still with the same tone of worry in his voice.

__

He sounds like he really cares. I never thought he would act this way.... "Yes, I'm sure Ash. Don't worry, I'm fine." She reassured him with a friendly smile. His heart skipped again. She looked down at the ground with a shy look on her face. "Thank you." She said quietly. Ash looked puzzled.

"Thank you? For what?" he asked. She turned toward him.

"For caring. I never knew you did." Misty replied, blushing slightly. Ash smiled at her. 

"Of course I care, Mist. Why wouldn't I? You're my best friend." Suddenly, Ash heard a muffled "Pika!" come from behind the log where Pikachu was sleeping. He chuckled. "Best _human_ friend." he corrected himself. _Gee, _Ash thought._ I can't believe I'm sayin' this stuff. Even I didn't know I cared that much about her. I've never noticed how pretty she looks in the firelight either.... This is all really weird... why am I gettin' so nervous? I just want to... to... grr I don't know! _Ash's thoughts were broken when Misty spoke up. "Well Ash, you're my best human friend too. And I.... care... about you too." He looked directly at her, his deep brown eyes meeting her aqua blue ones... neither of them spoke, just moved their faces closer to one another. Both their minds were racing, but their hearts just told them to keep moving closer.... They were millimeters apart.....

"Ash! There you are!" Brock shouted. Both teens jerked away from each other as quickly as possible. "Why'd you disappear on me like that and come back here?" Brock was obviously annoyed. Ash had to think of an excuse quick.

"I- um... we- I mean... I got lost and found my way back here, so I decided to wait for you!" he explained. Misty was confused as to why Ash told her and Brock different stories about how he wound up back in camp, but decided to keep quiet. _Could he have planned all of that? _She wondered. Brock didn't look very convinced, but decided it would be better not to go into it. "Look, I didn't find your compass, and I take it you didn't have any luck either?" he asked.

"Nope." Ash replied.

"Why don't we all just get to sleep, then? I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted."

"Okay." Ash and Misty answered in unison. Everyone got ready for bed. Ash tried his hardest to stay awake that night, which for once, wasn't too difficult. He couldn't stop thinking about what happened earlier. _What were we about to do there? Why did I want to do it? Why did I suddenly feel like... I dunno, I was really close to her just then, and wanted to stay that way? ::Sigh:: Boy, things sure have gotten confusing lately. Just what I need, another thing that I can't get out of my head. _Misty was having equal trouble sleeping. _What would've happened if Brock hadn't come in? Grrrr... that idiot. That all felt so.... right. I wanted to keep moving in... and I think he did too.... no, that can't be. Why would Ash ever want to do something like that with me? But, it sure seemed like he did, but then again, the Ash I know never would. Oh, I'm so confused._

Unlike Misty, Ash desperately wanted to stay awake. So when sleep finally came to the troubled girl, Ash made sure everyone was out for the count, then got out of his sleeping bag. The boy made his way over to where Brock slept. He quietly opened Brock's green backpack. Sure enough, there was the journal. Brimming with curiosity, Ash plucked the book out of the bag, made a dash for his sleeping bag, flopped down and turned on his tiny reading light. He started to read.....

_Master Plan: day 6_

Staying at Professor Ivy's place has been really useful. It's provided me with all the equipment and research I could possibly need. Soon, I'll make the implant, and then step one of my master plan will finally be completed! No more waiting, no more slaving, and most importantly, no more rejection. Soon, it will all be mine.....

Ash was utterly confused at what he read. Did Brock write this? He definitely did stay with Professor Ivy for a while, but what's this "Master Plan" he's talking about? What's an implant? (not _that _kind of implant for any pervs out there!) Ash decided to read on. He skipped a few pages, and continued.

_Master Plan: day 29_

It would appear that the Professor and her three munchkins have discovered my little project. They've ordered me to leave and never return. No matter. They've provided me with all I needed. They are no longer of use. The only problem is, I have no where to go. I heard that Ash is still traveling in the Orange Islands, so it'll be nearly impossible to find him. If I return home, I will be short of a test subject, which is essential to the project. This problem will be easily solved. There are plenty of places I can go to with ample test subjects available. I just need to have patience....

What on earth was Brock talking about? Test subject? For what? Wasn't he staying with Ivy to learn more about pokemon breeding? Ash turned a few more pages.

_Master Plan: day 32_

After a while, It would have appeared that I found the perfect place to stay and conduct my tests for the master plan. It's in a perfectly innocent house, with one resident. She happens to be female, which makes her the perfect test subject. She's totally unsuspecting, and since I was her son's traveling companion, totally trusting. Yes, it all seemed perfect. But there is one obstacle. That blasted Mr. Mime of hers! It seems to know what I'm planning, and it's using it's psychic waves to block the waves coming from my device! This could've been a perfect situation, but some stupid pokemon is stopping it all!

Ash froze after reading those sentences. _Mom..._ he thought. _He's talking about mom..._ the entry wasn't finished, so Ash read more.

__

I'll just have to find a way of getting rid of it, in a less violent way. Perhaps win her favor over him by doing all of his silly chores... perhaps that will work.

By now, Ash was getting frightened. He still wasn't totally clear on what Brock was talking about, but he knew it had something to do with waves being sent out from a device, and a female "test subject". Was Brock nuts?

_Master Plan: day 37_

Wonderful news. It appears that Ash has returned home with Misty and some fruit named Tracey after success in the Orange Islands. They are constantly asking me why I came back from Professor Ivy's, so I just refuse to tell them, or even hear her name. Soon after, Ash will head out again. Of course, Misty will be with him. The one called Tracey has decided to stay here with Professor Oak. Fool. Oh well, that just gets him out of the way. I've invited myself to go along with them, and they, as I knew they would, accepted. It's absolutely perfect. Ash is as dumb as a doorknob, so he'll never suspect a thing. Misty trusts me, so I've got nothing to worry about as far as she's concerned. Pikachu isn't psychic, and trusts me as well. And Togepi is far to young to cause any harm to my project. It's going to be smooth sailing for the Master Plan from now on... wait and see.

Ash was growing more and more afraid with every word. Was Brock still doing this now? Was he serious? Was this all a joke? Why did he want to come back with them? How is traveling with them "perfect" for his plan? _Hey! Did he call me dumb?_ Ash then realized that he had never looked at the first page. He thought maybe that would provide him with some answers. Ash flipped to page one.

_MASTER PLAN: OBJECTIVE_

The objective of this plan is to stop female rejection of myself once and for all. Using special hypnotic waves, I will draw attention from females in the area around me. I shall implant the hypnotic wave device into my own head. No one will notice it shining through my eyes because no one can see my eyes! The second step will be to slowly break down their personalities and free will until they are nothing more than my slaves, willing to do my bidding, fulfill my desires, be mine, all mine!

Ash gulped. He couldn't believe what he was reading! Would Brock really do something as crazy as that? Why? Ash pinched himself. _Ouch. I'm not dreaming, oh boy._ The boy still wanted to read one more thing out of this journal.... the last entry. Hands trembling, Ash turned the pages until he came across it.

_Master Plan: day 55_

The test subject is responding well. Better than I had hoped. I had thought it would be especially difficult, since she is such a fiery young lady. But she has been giving me plenty of attention, however painful it is, and her personality has slowly been fading. She's become nearly a total follower, rarely voicing her opinion. There have been a few incidents where her true self showed through, such as an incident with a totodile and another with a pokemon fortune telling book. But other than that, she's been responding perfectly. Just today I managed to stop her from going to a luxurious swimming pool, something she normally would have been screaming her head off about. Soon, very soon, she will be completely under my control. Then I will move on to others, and she will no longer be of use. It's all coming together now.....

Ash shut the book, his eyes wide with fear. He clenched his hands into fists and looked down at the ground. He felt so helpless at that moment, helpless and frightened. But not for himself. "Misty........."

To be continued.....

I left you hagin' again! Sorry, but I also know that it encourages you to read the next chapter! ^_^ In chapter 3, Ash will try to decide on what to do with his newfound information. Will he tell Misty? Will Brock find out that Ash knows his secret? Will anyone believe Ash? You'll just hafta wait to find out! ^-^ Grooooooowlithe!


	3. The Plot Thickens...

A/N: I never expected that I'd have so many readers into my story, thanks a lot to all who reviewed. I got this out as quick as I could just for you. You're all rushing me so much, don't worry, it's almost over. It takes me quite a while to write these ya know, I'm making up most of the chapter as I go along. Oops.. wasn't supposed to tell ya that. ^_^

Chapter Three: The plot thickens...

That night, after carefully putting Brock's journal back in his bag, Ash tried as hard as he could to get to sleep. But with this new frightening revelation about Brock fresh in his mind, he found it impossible. Needless to say, Ash did not sleep a wink that night. Just as the sun was starting to rise, Ash finally felt his eyelids getting heavy. He dozed off into a peaceful slumber.

However, Ash's peace was very short lived. Not long after, he was immediately brought back to consciousness by a very loud "WAKE UP!!!!" screaming in his ear. 

"WAH!" Ash shouted in surprise as he bolted upright in his sleeping bag. There was a look of great surprise and fear on his face. After Ash calmed down a bit, he shifted his gaze to Misty, who was on the ground, laughing her head off. Ash crossed his arms and looked annoyed. "Not funny." He said, turning his head away from her. 

"Yes it is!" shouted Misty, between giggles. "You should've seen the look on your face when you sat up! I wish Todd was here to take a picture!" She burst out into laughter again. "That's payback for the time you put that caterpie in my sleeping bag!" Misty shouted at him triumphantly. 

"Now _that _was funny." Ash laughed at the memory. Misty couldn't help but laugh with him, and soon the two of them were laughing together. But their brief moment of happiness was broken by a voice.

"Hey Misty! I'm finished making breakfast, come over here and help me clean off the pots and pans!" It was Brock. Suddenly Ash remembered all that had happened the night before. The journal... the things Brock had said.... Misty.... _Maybe it was all a dream. Ash stated to himself. Everything seems perfectly normal. Maybe I just cooked it all up in my head and none of it's real...._

"Yes, Brock." Misty answered to Brock's command in the same monotone she had used the day before. Ash's eyes grew wide. That was a chore Misty would never do so willingly, she _hated _washing dishes. And yet there she was, getting up and doing them, just has Brock had asked.. no.. _ordered_ her to do. _And she's usin' that same creepy voice that she used before... was that whole Master Plan thing really real? _Ash felt something under his hand. He lifted his hand up and looked down. It was his little reading light. He had taken it out last night. He had read that journal. Brock really was forming some sort of plot. Misty really was in danger.

"Hey Ash, come on, get up! Your breakfast's getting cold!" Brock shouted to Ash. Ash shot an untrusting look at Brock, which he hoped he didn't notice.

"I've gotta get ready first!" Ash shouted back. He walked off behind a tree to put on his jacket and change his you-know-what. A scowl was on his face the entire time. _How can he act so normal, like he's my friend when he's really not? I can't believe that he'd do this... I trusted him! Trusted him with my life! Well, not anymore. I'm gonna tell everybody about what he did! Waitaminue... who will believe me? Not even I would believe me! What did he mean when he said that Misty won't be useful to him anymore? Will he get rid of her or somethin'? He's gonna hurt Misty! He already is hurting her! Takin' away her personality! I've gotta save her! But what can I do? She won't believe me... I don't care! I won't give up! I'll do whatever it takes to save Misty, she's way too important to me for me to just let him do that to her! She is? Of course she is, she's my best human friend! I'd rather die than let something that bad happen to her! I would? Oh, not this again..._

"Pikapi?" Pikachu had come to see what was taking Ash so long. _Pikachu! _He thought happily. _Pikachu will definitely believe me. We share everything!_

"Pikachu, am I glad to see you!" Ash said happily to his pokemon.

"Pika?" Pikachu only looked confused at Ash's behavior.

"I've got somethin' to tell ya, buddy, but you have to promise not to overreact or anything, kay?"

Pikachu nodded its little head. "Chu." It agreed. Ash was about to start telling Pikachu his story when Brock's voice again interrupted.

"Hey Ash, what's taking you so long back there?" Brock shouted in the direction of the tree Ash was behind. Ash poked his head out from behind the tree.

"I'm almost done here, Brock! Ummm... nature calls! Gotta go!" And with that, Ash dashed deeper into the forest, Pikachu hot on his heels.

"Ash sure has been acting strangely lately." Misty commented while she fed Togepi a few morsels of pokemon food. Brock, who had noticed the contents of his backpack were a bit ruffled, gazed suspiciously in the direction Ash had taken off in.

"Yes, he has."

Once Ash was positive that he and Pikachu were out of earshot, he stopped to catch his breath. "Just a minute... Pikachu...." Once Ash caught his breath, he told Pikachu to sit down. He then related the entire story to the little electric mouse, telling him everything that he read in Brock's journal, and how it fit in with Misty's strange behavior. After hearing everything, Pikachu looked a little perplexed. It all seemed very hard to believe. But, Pikapi would never lie to Pikachu, would he? He never had before. And Pikapi seemed dead serious as he told the details of what happened. In fact, he looked more worried than Pikachu could ever remember seeing him before. Pikapi must be telling the truth. It's just not like him to drag Pikachu all the way out here just to tell him some made-up story. And he seemed deeply concerned for Pikachupi (Misty).

"So do you believe me, Pikachu?" Ash asked with pleading eyes. Pikachu smiled and nodded its head. "Pi! Pikachu!"

"Great! Thank you so much Pikachu, it feels so much better to know that I'm not alone in this anymore. You're the greatest!" Pikachu put its paw behind its head and blushed. "Pi."

"There's still somethin' else bothering me about this, Pikachu." Ash said solemnly. "Pika?" The little rodent inquired. "Well, what are we gonna do about all this? I feel like I should tell Misty, but I don't think she'd believe me. I also wanna do a few things to Brock, too. I wish I still had Charizard. Then I'd flame his lying ass."

"Pikapi! Pika, pikachu!" The pokemon scolded.

"You're right, Pikachu. I shouldn't use such bad language. But all this make me so mad! He has no right to do this stuff to Misty!"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

"So.... do you have any idea what our plan of action should be? Should I tell Misty about this?" Ash asked his friend.

"Pi.... chu. Pipikachu pikachu, pika pika, pikachu. Pika pikachu chu pi pika chu pi pika pika." It answered.

Ash took a moment to translate. "You're saying that we shouldn't tell Misty right away, or she might not believe us or get scared?" He said.

"Pi." Pikachu answered.

"And that we should keep quiet about what we know, but keep our eye on Brock for a while?"

"Pi."

"But what'll we do if that machine keeps melting away her personality? We can't let that happen!" Ash said, his voice growing more worried. Pikachu sat down, looking very deep in thought, and concentrated on what to do about this problem. After a while, its head perked up. "Pikapi," It said. "Pika, pikachu chu Pikachupi chu?"

"Does the machine only control Misty's mind?" Ash translated. "I dunno. I guess so. Brock never mentioned anything about controlling any other part of her. Why? What's that gotta do with this?"

"Pika, pikachu pika pika, pi pikachu. Pika, pikachu pika pika chu pi pika pika chu chu."

Ash looked a little confused at first. "We've gotta find a feeling inside of her that's stronger than the waves from Brock's machine? What would that be?"

"Pika, pikachu chu pi."

"What do you mean it's like listening to your heart instead of your head? I don't get it."

"Pi pikachu."

"What do you mean of course I don't?!? It's not like I'm stupid or anything, I just don't get what you're talkin' about."

"Pika, Pikapi. Pi chu Pikapika pika chu Pikachupi, pika chu pi pikachu."

"Whenever it looks like Brock's startin' to control Misty again, you want me to interrupt? How?" Ash looked very puzzled. How would that help?

"Pika, pi pikachu pika. Pi pika pikachu." Pikachu answered.

"Just suggest against whatever he says, and remember to be really nice to Misty when I do it?"

"Pi."

"Pikachu, how on earth will that help anything? How can I stop those hypno-waves? I thought you said it had to be a strong feeling inside her." Ash was looking more and more confused by the minute.

"Pikapi, pi pika."

"Just trust you?" Ash asked.

"Pi."

"::sigh:: I hope you know what you're doing, Pikachu."

Pikachu still wasn't totally sure if its theory was correct. But it seemed that there was no better alternative at the moment.

As Ash and Pikachu headed back to camp, Ash's mind became clouded with thoughts once again. _Boy, I never knew Pikachu was so smart. I never woulda thought of a plan just like that. But still, I don't really get what it meant when it said that I had to interfere. I mean, what can I do? I thought it was supposed to be a feeling or somethin'. Oh well, Pikachu's the one with the plan, not me. Might as well give it a shot. _

Once they arrived, Ash saw that everything was all packed up. Most importantly, so was the food. _Nooooooo! I missed breakfast! Now I'm gonna be hungry all day!_

"Ash, what took you so long?" Brock asked.

"Yeah, we were starting to get worried." Misty said half-jokingly.

"Well, uh- it was hard to find just the right bush, ya know? I mean some of them were too small, some were too prickly..."

"Okay, we don't need to hear it!" Misty interrupted. She picked up Togepi and stood up, ready to leave. Ash packed up his remaining stuff and also got ready to leave. He knew that he was supposed to stay low-key about all of this, but he couldn't help shooting a few dirty looks in Brock's direction, some of which Brock noticed. The trio/quintet headed out again, their destination being the unreachable Goldenrod city. After walking nonstop for quite a while, Misty could feel herself starting to get tired. "Ash, could we stop for a little, my legs are killing me!" 

"Yeah, sure thing." Ash responded in a friendly tone. Misty gratefully sat down on a nearby rock. Ash sat down beside her, not taking his eyes off of Brock. He wanted to protect her, even if it was in the smallest way possible. Brock didn't look too tired at all. 

"Misty, I think it would be a better idea if we just kept on moving, don't you?" Brock asked. _Tryin' to sound all innocent._ Ash thought._ I'm on to you. _He glanced over at Misty, who looked like she was about to agree with Brock, her face losing all of its emotion as it had before. Before she could speak, Ash put his hand on her shoulder.

"Misty, you're tired." he said in as caring a voice as he could muster. "It would be much better for you if we just stayed here and rested for a little bit." he slightly but gently rubbed her shoulder. The emotion suddenly returned to Misty's face, and she gazed at him with a dreamy expression. She felt like she was melting at his touch. 

"Okay..." she said, still in a dazed tone. Only this time the tone was emotionally dazed, not mindless. Ash gave her a comforting smile, and she smiled back at him. Ash then gave Brock a short look of triumph. Brock looked very agitated. _Wow. That actually worked. I can't believe that Pikachu was right. Maybe there is hope for this little plan of ours. _Ash beamed.

As the day progressed, Ash made more and more success with his "anti-master plan". He had successfully stopped her from agreeing with Brock on many stupid topics and from going over and yanking his ear multiple times. Every time Ash sneaked a peek at Brock, he saw him becoming more and more furious. Ash snickered to himself. He certainly was enjoying this. Meanwhile, Misty was enjoying all the attention she was getting from Ash. He had been so nice to her lately. Wanting her to spend more time with him, caring more about her needs, he was being wonderful. _He's so sweet, I must be dreaming. I wish he'd treat me like this every day.... I wonder if he's sick or something. Oh well, I don't care. All I care about is that Ash Ketchum cares about me. Maybe he does like me as more than a friend, maybe...._

Ash also enjoyed giving Misty more attention. _Gee, maybe I should treat her like this more often._ He thought to himself. _It makes me feel all.... happy inside to be like this with her. Don't worry Misty, I'll protect you from his evil machine. _That night, Ash scooted his sleeping bag closer to Misty's, wanting to be as close to her as possible, protect her from any harm. She fell asleep seeing his face warmly smile at her, feeling totally at peace. As soon as she was asleep, Ash felt a sudden impulse come over him. Without thinking, he acted on it, and carefully leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek. _Why did I just do that?!? Why did I just want to do that?!? Maybe it's cause she looks so cute when she's sleeping... or cause she's been so sweet lately... maybe it's cause she's my really good friend... or maybe, it's cause I...I....better get to sleep. _With that, Ash shut his eyes and fell asleep beside his friend. Pikachu looked at how close the two had become, and how well its plan was working. It smiled at its trainer, then cuddled up beside Togepi and slept. While the other members of the camp were sleeping, however, Brock remained awake, scribbling in his journal:

__

It would seem that Ash knows something of my plan.... Misty's feelings for him are interfering with the waves' effect on her brain.... he has become an obstacle.... he must be eliminated.

The next morning, Ash awoke to the smell of breakfast being prepared. Not long after, Misty woke up too. "Morning." He gently whispered to her.

"G'morning." she answered back cheerfully.

"Misty, I'm glad you're awake." Brock said. "Could you get over here and pack up some of my stuff?" Misty looked as if she were about to comply. She started to get up, but felt Ash's hand slip into hers. She froze. Her heart started beating faster.

"Stay here with me, Misty." Ash nearly pleaded. "I just wanna sit here and talk with you. I think that Brock will be just fine doing his _own_ chores." During the last part of that sentence, Ash glared angrily at Brock. Brock scowled. Misty gladly sat down beside Ash again, her heart fluttering. _He held my hand... it was just for a second, but.... he held my hand...._

Over the next few days, Ash continued his "anti-master plan". It was working very nicely, and both were very happy to be acting like this around each other. After a while it appeared that Misty was gaining her personality back as well. Ash was, for the first time, glad when she finally lost her temper at something such as Psyduck or himself. He was even more pleased when he managed to slip out calling her scrawny in one of their conversations, and she immediately walloped him with her mallet. _Ahh... I missed that... Owwww....._

As the days past, Ash and Misty became considerably closer to one another, quite often leaving Brock out. Whenever he mindlessly flirted with a random girl, Misty acted as if she wouldn't notice even if he had been hitting on a Gyrados. He had become more angry with this whole situation by the minute. There was no way he was going to let someone with Ash's intelligence stand between him and his Master Plan.

One evening, Misty had fallen asleep with her head on Ash's lap, while he gently stroked her hair. _Mmmm... it's so soft... this is so nice. I never had any idea that being close to Misty would feel this good..._

"Ash?" Brock came up to the teens, his hands in his pockets, looking totally innocent. "Mind if I talk to you for a minute?" he asked casually.

__

As a matter of fact, I do. Ash thought. "What is it, Brock?" Ash asked, just as casually.

"Well, it's kind of personal, so I was wondering if we could talk about it away from camp?" he said, indicating the surrounding trees in the area. Ash was in a jam. If he refused, then Brock would know that he didn't trust him. But why did Brock want him to go into the woods with him anyway? Ash quickly made a decision. 

"Okay, Brock. You go on ahead, I'll catch up." Brock nodded and walked off into the woods. Once he was gone, Ash carefully set Misty's head down on his rolled up sleeping bag, and silently released Totodile. "Totodile, I want ya to stay here, and protect Misty from Brock, okay? I already told you guys that I think he's up to no good." Totodile nodded its head in agreement. "Toto!" It said enthusiastically in its raspy donald duck voice. It then started dancing around Misty's sleeping form. "Totototototototo!"

"Shhh!" Ash hushed. We don't wanna wake Misty up, or let Brock know that I let you out."

"Dile." The little crocodile pokemon whispered.

"Okay, see ya soon." Ash said to his pokemon. Suddenly, he realized that Pikachu wasn't by his side. In fact, he couldn't see it anywhere. _Oh well, _he thought. _It's probably off chasing Togepi on another wild egg chase. _Ash left the campsite to find Brock.

As he was walking through the thick growth of trees, Ash tried to keep his guard up. He had no idea where Brock was. _Where on earth could he have gone?_ "Hey Brock! Brock!" Ash was considerably far from camp now. _Hmm... maybe I should turn around. _The trainer turned around and prepared to go back to camp. But before he could take another step, a massive force shot out from the trees and wrapped itself tightly around Ash's body, squeezing him. Ash cried out in pain and surprise. He looked down at what was holding him. It was a huge rope, that looked as if it were made of boulders... _wait... this isn't a rope... it's..._ GROOOOOAAR!! _Onix! That must mean..._ "Brock!" He shouted, as the no-eyed trainer revealed himself from the bush where he had been hiding.

"Well, Ash. I was starting to believe that you were gaining some intelligence. But I guess I was wrong, since you were stupid enough to fall into my trap!"

"Shut up, you lying asshole!" Ash shouted. "Let me go now!" He struggled as much as he could, but it was no use. Onix held him tight. He couldn't even reach his poke balls.

"I'm sorry Ash, but I can't do that. There's no way I could ever allow you to return to that camp, or to Misty. You and I both know that you know.... too much." A twisted grin spread across Brock's face.

"You're crazy!" Ash spat. Brock simply laughed a sinister laugh.

"Maybe I am Ash, but soon, I shall have all I want. And there is no way that you or your precious electric rat are going to stand in my way!" Ash's ears perked up at the mention of Pikachu. 

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH PIKACHU??" he demanded. Brock laughed again.

"Oh, don't worry Ash, he's right here." He held up a cage containing the unconscious little yellow pokemon, bruised and beaten.

"You MONSTER!!" Ash yelled. Onix started to move, still holding Ash tightly in its coils. It didn't stop until it reached a nearby cliff. It was an incredibly steep, rocky fall. Onix held Ash over the edge. Brock did the same with Pikachu. 

"I'm so sorry that I have to bring our friendship to an end like this, Ash. I deeply regret it, really I do. Then again, I never really liked you all too much." He moved closer to Ash putting his face in front of him. Ash stared at him, a look of hate and defiance plastered on his face. "Don't worry." Brock said menacingly. "I'll take 'good care' of Misty for you." Ash went into a rage. He struggled harder and harder against Onix's grip, but to no avail. He shouted furiously in Brock's face.

"YOU LEAVE HER ALONE, YOU HEAR ME?!? I SWEAR, IF YOU DO ONE THING TO HURT HER I'LL..."

"You'll what, Ash? Hehehehe... I'm afraid you won't be around to do anything..." Brock snapped his fingers, and Onix released his grip on Ash, dropping him off the cliff's edge. Brock tossed Pikachu's cage over the edge as well. "Goodbye Ash......"

To be continued.....

Yes, I know I'm evil and I'm driving you insane with cliffhangers (literally, in this case!) Well I promise that I'll get the next (and hopefully last) chapter out ASAP. In the next chapter: Did Ash survive? What will happen to Misty with no one left to protect her mind from being taken over? How will Brock be stopped? Will he be stopped at all? Find out next time in the conclusion to... Master Plan. Hehe I did that dramatic thing pretty good didn't I?


	4. Confrontation

A/N: Okay, I stayed up until 1:00 in the morning to finish it, but here it is: chapter 4 of the Master Plan. This one's got a bit (or a lot) of violence in it, so be warned. It's nothing really too bad, anyway. Well, now that I've posted it, no one will have to sic their level 71 Gyrados at me or tell me that I'm driving them insane, right? Sorry about all the cliffhangers, but I actually found it kinda fun to see everyone's reaction to 'em. As always, reviews are _very _much appreciated. ::Okay Growly, they wanna read the story. Will ya just shut up already?:: Ok then, without further delay, here's the conclusion of: The Master Plan.

Chapter 4: Confrontation

Ash plummeted down the cliff side, his body smashing into the rocky wall as he fell. Refusing to go down without a fight, Ash almost miraculously managed to flip his body so it was facing the wall. With a grunt, he dug his fingers into a ledge on the wall that was only a few inches wide. Tremendous pain was surging through his body, but he refused to let go. As he clung for dear life, Ash suddenly saw Pikachu fall past him. Horrified, he braced himself against the wall and grabbed a poke ball. "Noctowl, go! Catch Pikachu!" The owl pokemon materialized and immediately swooped down toward the falling Pikachu. Since it was a natural habit for Noctowl to dive for its prey, it easily caught Pikachu's cage in its talons. The cage made Pikachu quite heavy, however, and Noctowl was having trouble holding it up. "Noctowl, I know it'll be tough," Ash said with great pain in his voice. "but I'm gonna need ya to fly Pikachu back up to the top of this cliff. You're its only hope." Noctowl nodded at its trainer. "Hooooooo!" It cried as it strained its wings to carry the caged Pikachu to safety. Despite his pain, Ash smiled. He knew that Noctowl wouldn't let him down. Now that Pikachu was safe, he could concentrate on saving himself.

Brock returned to the camp triumphantly. He saw that Misty had just woken up. "Hey Brock, where did Ash go?" Misty asked in a groggy tone.

"He said he had some stuff to take care of in the woods." Brock simply answered. "He'll be back soon." Brock secretly smiled to himself. _He won't come back as soon as you think,_ he thought to himself smugly. _Soon we'll have to look for him and we'll come across his body at the bottom of the cliff. With Pikachu in a cage, we can blame the whole thing on Team Rocket. Misty may be upset, but I doubt it. Once I have total control over her she won't care about anything. Soon after I can do away with her too, call her death a suicide...._

"Brock, what are you smiling about?" Misty asked, noticing how strange the smile on Brock's face looked.

"Hm? Oh nothing, Misty. Nothing at all."

Ash struggled desperately to keep his hold on the ledge. His fingers were becoming numb with pain. _Grrr... this ledge is too small for Bulbasaur to fit on... Wait! Chikorita will fit alright! Maybe she can help me out of this.... _Ash carefully removed Chikorita's poke ball from his belt, and released the small leaf pokemon onto the ledge. Chikorita looked down at Ash. "Chikori!" she cried, noticing the dangerous position her trainer was in. "Chikorita! I need your help. We gotta figure a way to get me back to the top of this cliff." Both Ash and Chikorita thought for a few seconds. Then, Chikorita perked up. "Chika!" she cried. She then carefully climbed onto Ash's back and latched herself onto him with her hooves. (if that's what they are!) The little pokemon extended her two vines, one wrapping itself around Ash's waist, the other stretched as far as it could go to the top of the cliff, where Noctowl helped direct it to the nearest tree. Chikorita wrapped her vine around the tree, and tried to pull Ash and herself to safety. Pulling both Ash's and her own weight, however, was very difficult for Chikorita. She wouldn't be able to do it on her own. Ash, seeing his pokemon's difficulty, decided to help out. He started to climb the wall along with Chikorita's support. It was a painful, difficult climb. But Ash was never the type to give in. _I've gotta do this, I've gotta get back up there. I can't leave Misty with Brock. I've have to save her.... I have to.... I can't lose her.... I love her....._

"Ash has been gone quite a while, Brock." Misty said, the worry in her voice was obvious. "I think we should go and look for him." Brock looked annoyed.

"Really, Misty. We should stay here. Ash will be back soon." He looked Misty directly in the eyes. "Trust me, everything will be fine." He said slowly. Misty's face became blank. The emotion drained out of her voice. 

"Everything... will be...." she repeated. Just then, a blue blur leapt from behind Ash's backpack and bolted towards Brock. "Toto!" it cried as it firmly clasped Brock's hand and wrist in its jaws, biting down hard. Brock screamed in pain.

"AAAARRGGHH!" He cried. "Let go of me, you goddamn monster!" He swung his arm around violently, which only caused Totodile to strengthen its grip. Misty snapped out of her trance.

"Huh? Brock, what are you doing? Totodile? Totodile, let go of Brock! Are you crazy?" Totodile ignored Misty's order and chomped harder on Brock's arm, shaking his head vigorously and injuring Brock's arm further. "Dile!" He cried angrily. There was no way he was going to let Ash down.

"You bastard!" Brock shouted. "Damn you, Ash! You can't stop me!" In one final attempt, Brock gathered all of his strength and swung his arm outward. The power of the swing was too much even for Totodile, his grip was released, and the pokemon was sent flying into a tree. Totodile painfully collided with the tree, then slid down to the ground, unconscious. Misty noticed the violence Brock had just shown, and the cruel way he had treated Totodile. She understood that Brock was hurt, but seeing a pokemon -especially a water pokemon- treated in such a way pushed buttons for the young girl.

"Brock! How dare you do that to Totodile!" She shouted angrily. Brock was even angrier than before. Still holding his injured hand, he turned toward Misty.

"Totodile?!?" He cried angrily. "Did you see what that thing did to me? It could've ripped my hand off!" This still did not appease Misty.

"That's still no excuse to treat a pokemon so violently!" She proclaimed. "You should be ashamed of yourself, Brock. Just look at the poor little thing!" She went over to go tend to the unconscious pokemon. Brock placed himself between them.

"Misty, I don't think that I overreacted. Totodile will be fine. Right now, we need to worry about my own injuries." Misty's will once again began to get taken over. Togepi noticed the sudden change in its mommy's facial expression as she agreed with the squinty one. And Daddy had been gone long, almost too long. It knew that something was wrong. It walked over to where Mommy and the squinty one were standing and placed itself protectively in front of Mommy. "Toge!" It said as if to warn Brock from coming any closer. Brock was only angered further by finding yet another obstacle standing in his way. Angrily, he kicked Togepi aside, sending it rolling quite a few feet. The baby pokemon began to cry. Seeing her adopted child treated in such a way brought out a rage in Misty. Her face filled with anger as she glared at Brock.

"BROCK!! JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?" she screamed at him. Temper flaring, she kicked the older trainer in the stomach. He doubled over in pain. Misty immediately ran to Togepi, trying to comfort him. Once Brock got his breath back, he advanced toward Misty. Misty saw him, put Togepi down, and turned to face him. "I don't know what's wrong with you Brock, but I'm warning you, if you come any closer you'll regret it." She raised both of her fists, willing to fight as hard as she could to protect her pokemon. Brock didn't seem very intimidated by this. He laughed in a sinister tone, which was very unfamiliar to Misty. It frightened her.

"No Misty, I'm afraid you'll be the one who regrets it." With this, he dove at the girl, and pinned her to the ground, holding her arms down. She struggled hard, but Brock's strength was superior to her own, and Misty was overpowered.

"Let me go, you asshole! Where is Ash really? ASH!!!" Brock grinned. 

"I'm afraid he can't hear you, Misty," he said menacingly. "and I'm afraid he never will." Misty's eyes widened.

"Wh-what do you mean? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ASH?!?" She shouted at the top of her lungs.

"It really doesn't matter Misty. Soon, it won't matter at all." Brock looked directly into Misty's eyes, paralyzing her. She could feel herself starting to lose control over her thoughts. "Now, you will be completely mine...."

After what felt like hours of painfully fighting his way up, Ash finally made it back to the top of the cliff. He felt like collapsing, but knew that he mustn't. "Thank you Chikorita, thank you Noctowl." Both pokemon happily answered. Ash then released Bulbasaur and Cyndaquil. Now, listen to me, everyone. I'm gonna leave Pikachu here with you. Cyndaquil, try to melt the bars of that cage and get him out of there." Cyndaquil agreed with a "Cynda!". Ash spoke to his pokemon again. "What I'm about to do is probably gonna be really dangerous, but no matter what happens, I want you all to stick together, and to protect Pikachu. Got it?" All of the pokemon responded with a nod. He smiled at them. "I'll be back soon, you guys." Chikorita walked up to him. "Chika." She said, looking worried for her trainer. "Don't worry, guys. I'll be fine. Right now the best thing you can do for me is to stay here with Pikachu, okay?" Chikorita looked uncertain, but then returned to Pikachu's side. "Chi." Ash smiled at his loyal friends. "Thank you all. I'll be back in no time, I promise!" And with that, Ash turned and ran back in the direction of camp, back to Misty.

Now that Misty was dealt with, Brock believed that it was time to deal with that blasted Totodile. He walked over to the little crocodile, picked it up, and smacked it across the face with his injured hand, splattering blood on the pokemon's snout. He then threw Totodile to the ground. Brock lifted his foot over the brave little pokemon. It shot down hard, but never made contact. Instead, Brock was knocked to the ground with the force of another person tackling him. He turned to view his attacker, and was shocked to see... "Ash!" Ash stood over Brock furiously, ready to take him on. "That's impossible!! How could you possibly have survived that?" Ash grinned.

"Brock, you should know that it takes more than gettin' tossed of a cliff to get rid of me!" Ash's expression then became serious. "Now, I'm ready to stop you!" Brock's look of shock was replaced with one of confidence.

"Are you Ash? Well, we'll just see how close you can come to me. Come on." Ash simply frowned and charged toward Brock. Brock simply remained still. Then, he lifted his hand up, and snapped his fingers. As soon as the snap was heard, Ash's path was immediately blocked by none other than Misty, the dull look having completely covered her face. Ash immediately stopped in his tracks. 

"Misty?!?" He cried in shock. Brock laughed.

"Well, isn't this an interesting twist. The one person you came here to save is the one person preventing you from saving her! Pretty ironic, don't you think, Ash?" Brock sneered.

"What have you done to her?!?" Ash demanded, rage and fury overflowing inside of him.

"It's simple, really." Brock answered. "With you out of the way, it became very easy for me to gain total control of her. Now there's nothing you can do stop me, that is, unless you want to hurt your beloved Misty." Brock threw his head back and laughed. "What are you going to do now Ash, hm?" Ash started to look extremely frightened. He had to stop Brock.... but he couldn't hurt Misty. "Hahahaha! Why don't you just give up now, Ash? Just give up and let me kill you again!"

"Never!" Ash cried. "I'll never let you do this to her! I'll save Misty even if it kills me!" Brock smiled.

"Trust me Ash, it will." Ash turned his attention to Misty.

"Misty, it's me. Dont'cha recognize me? Mr. Pokemon Master?" Misty's face remained emotionless, she did not respond. Brock laughed to himself. What a fool. He'll never be able to reach her now. This should be entertaining. "Please, Misty. This isn't you. He's controlling you. I wanted to tell you from the moment I found out, but I was afraid.... that you wouldn't believe me. Come on. The Misty I know would never stand for this." He smiled. "She'd be goin' nuts, swingin' her mallet around everywhere, makin' anyone scared to come within 10 feet of her." Misty's expression softened. "Misty..... I want you back.... please, fight it.... for me." Misty blinked a couple of times. Ash stepped toward her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. She'll attack if you get too close, you know." Brock called out arrogantly. "Don't you know it's futile?" Ash still didn't stop moving closer to Misty. He looked at her with loving eyes as he moved, and Misty's face started to regain some feeling. Ash didn't stop until he was directly in front of her. He touched her face.

"Misty...." he whispered. "Come back to me..." Emotion had fully flooded Misty's face now, and she fell to the ground, passed out. Ash immediately dove down to the ground and held her, deeply concerned. Brock fumed.

"You BASTARD!!" he shouted at the young trainer. "You've ruined my plan, completely counteracted my hypnotic waves, survived an almost impossible situation, and ruined the perfect control I had over my test subject. How?!? How could you, of all people, manage to do all of that?!?" Ash grinned at Brock.

"It's quite simple, really." Ash said, quoting Brock. He gently laid Misty back down and stood protectively in front of her. "I have something you don't, something you'll never understand the true meaning of, and never ever have for yourself."

"And what would that be?"

"Love." Enraged, Brock rushed at Ash. Ash ran at Brock as well, and the two met, tackling each other to the ground. Ash swung a punch at Brock, hitting him in the cheek. Brock punched Ash right back, sending him flying. Brock then leapt at Ash in his vulnerable position, but Ash quickly rolled out of the way and slammed Brock in the back. The fight continued on, Ash knew that Brock was stronger and he had little hope of winning, but refused to stop fighting. He would defend Misty to the death. After a while, Ash's injuries from his fall were starting to take effect. He slowed down considerably. Soon Brock gained the upper hand. Ash made a lunge for his face, but Brock pulled back, kneed Ash in the gut, then slammed him in the back, leaving the boy on the ground, writhing in pain. Brock stood over his victim.

"Now it ends, Ash. For real this time." Brock pulled his fist back, ready to deliver a final blow, when he felt another powerful fist connect with his jaw. Brock fell to the ground, stunned. He looked up and was shocked to see.... "MISTY?!?"

"You know Brock, for being such a 'rock-hard trainer', you sure have a glass jaw." Misty said, standing over him. He glared at her, a wild, frightening look on his face.

"YOU CAN'T DEFEAT ME!" Brock cried defiantly. He lunged at Misty. This time, however, she wouldn't let him take her by surprise. She quickly dodged Brock, and the second he turned around to face her again, she landed a hard kick right where it hurts. Brock fell over, moaning in pain. Misty ran to Ash.

"Ash, are you alright?" She asked. Ash managed to pull himself up.

"Yeah, I think I am. Come on, we've got to get out of here." He grabbed Misty's hand. Misty scooped up Togepi and Totodile, and the two dashed into the forest. They ran as fast as their legs would carry them, knowing that Brock would soon regain his senses and come after them. Branches whipped at their faces and tore at their clothes, but they continued on. Ash led Misty to the spot where he had left his pokemon. They stopped as soon as they spotted the group of five, finally letting out a breath of relief. Ash's pokemon, including the now conscious, un-caged Pikachu ran over to greet him. They were all concerned when they saw their trainer's beaten state.

"Ash, you're really hurt." Misty said, gently placing her hand on his cheek. She wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled his chest. "Thank you for saving me." Ash blushed and returned her embrace.

"I should be saying the same thing to you." He responded. They smiled at each other. Ash's expression then grew serious. "Come on, right now we've got to get out of here before-"

"Before what, Ash?" Everyone turned to see Brock emerging from the woods, a hateful look upon his face. "I'm afraid that now, you've got no where left to run, kiddies." Ash's pokemon all prepared to attack Brock, but Brock held up a poke ball of his own. "No-no... make one move toward me and I'll sic some of my friends here on your beloved Ash." The pokemon all backed down, glaring and growling at their former friend. Brock started running toward Ash, who braced himself for attack. But Brock caught everyone by surprise when he suddenly turned and went for Misty, his fist raised. Misty was taken totally off guard. But before Brock could strike her, Ash, moving faster than he ever had in his life, threw himself in front of her, taking the full force of the blow. Misty gasped. Brock became enraged. He grabbed Ash's collar, trying to choke him. Ash fought back, pounding Brock as hard as he could with his fists. "FOOL!" Brock shouted. "YOU WILL NEVER STOP MY MASTER PLAN FROM BEING COMPLETED!! YOU HEAR ME? NEVER!!!" As they continued to struggle, Ash noticed that Brock was moving toward the edge of the cliff, his back facing it. With a determined look, Ash lifted his foot and gave Brock a final kick, causing him to lose his balance. Brock started to fall, but kept his grip on Ash's collar firm. "Very well then, Ash, it shall end for BOTH OF US!" But before they could go off the edge, Ash felt a pair of arms wrap around him, pulling him back up. Misty had grabbed on to him, and refused to let go. She pulled with all her might, trying desperately to save the boy she loved. The deadly game of tug-of-war felt as if it would never end for the trainers, Ash felt as if he were going to be ripped in half. None of them could take it anymore, and none of them could find a way to break the tie. Then, at the last moment, Pikachu jumped onto Brock's clinging hands. A look of horror appeared on Brock's face as Pikachu flashed and evil grin at him, then bit down hard on his already severed hand. Unable to bear the pain, Brock released Ash's shirt, and fell down the rocky cliff below. As he bounced off one of the boulders on the cliff's wall, it came loose. It was followed by dozens of others, forming a rockslide, and burying Brock beneath it all before he could even cry out.

Ash and Misty both fell backwards, Ash landing in a sitting position with his back against a rock, exhausted. Misty and Pikachu peered over the edge of the cliff. All they saw was a gigantic pile of boulders at the bottom of the cliff, which Brock was underneath. They stared for a while, both knowing that he never could've survived. Their trance was broken when Ash groaned in pain. Misty immediately rushed to his side.

"Ash, are you alright?" She asked, extremely worried. Ash winced, but smiled at her. 

"Not at the moment, but I think I'm gonna be fine." Misty wrapped her arms around him once again.

"Ash, you went through all of this just to save me. I don't know how I can ever thank you." She buried her face in his chest.

"Misty, you don't have to thank me. I would never think twice about saving you. I..... I'd die for you if I had to....I..." _Oh great, now I'm starting to stutter. _he thought. _Well, it's now or never. I may not get another chance... _"...I could never let anything that bad happen to you, Misty. You're way too important to me, cause I.....I um...::gulp::.." Misty realized what Ash was about to say before he could actually get it out._ Oh my god. He loves me. He really loves me. I can tell that's what he's feeling, I just know it is. Oh Ash, you don't know how long I've waited to hear you say this...._ So she continued to wait while Ash continued to stutter. He just couldn't seem to get it out. It was understandable, after all, these feelings had just been realized. However, Misty was getting impatient. _::sigh:: I wish he'd hurry up. Come on, Ash. I know what you're trying to say, just say it already. _"Um.... ya see... I...I..." Misty couldn't take the wait any longer. She had to shut him up. Quite unexpectedly, Misty drew back her hand, and promptly smacked Ash across the face. It wasn't too hard, seeing that he was already injured. Ash gave Misty a confused look. Misty just smiled at him, gently took his face in her hands and said...... 

"Ash, shut up." 

She then moved in closer and pressed her lips to his. Ash was a little surprised by Misty's actions, but soon after shut his eyes, put his arms around her, and kissed back. Misty made the kiss deeper, and the two of them sat together for quite a few minutes, kissing passionately the entire time. They only stopped when a mock growl from Pikachu made them realize they had an audience. Both blushed and smiled sheepishly at the group of smiling pokemon, who then applauded in any way that they could.

By the next morning, Ash and Misty had already packed all of their stuff and ran as fast as they could for the closest pokemon center. The pokemon were all healed. Pikachu and Totodile were both going to be fine, though they did have to be bandaged a bit. Misty and Ash decided to tell the police the whole story. They even had Brock's journal and Professor Ivy's word to back them up. That night, they slept in the pokemon center. Nurse Joy believed that they had been through enough, and deserved a nice comfortable room to sleep in. The two of them lied down on the comfy bed, snuggled in each others' arms. Since the room had two beds, they let Pikachu and Togepi have the other. Most of the events of the past day were still weighing heavily on their minds. "I still can't believe it Ash. I mean, who would have thought that Brock had that planned the entire time?" Misty asked Ash.

"Nobody." He answered. "Still, I feel like such an idiot for trusting him." He smiled and playfully nuzzled her cheek. "He was makin' me so jealous too!" She giggled.

"Jealous? How?" Ash pouted.

"The way you were always giving him all the attention. Smackin' him and yankin' him around instead of me." Misty gave Ash a mischievous grin.

"Ash, I never knew you felt that way. If you want me to smack you around more often, all you had to do was ask." Ash sweatdropped.

__

Me and my big mouth.... "Well, it sure is gonna be different without him around." Ash noted. Trying to change the subject of him getting smacked.

"Yeah." Misty agreed. Then she smiled. "Different, but better. I never liked him all that much anyway." Ash hugged her tighter.

"Well, we'd better get to sleep. Say, how about we head back to Rosethorn tomorrow. I know it's out of the way, but..." He lifted her chin so that she was looking right at him. "I think it's worth it." She smiled lovingly at him, then placed a sweet kiss on his lips. He gladly returned it. "I love you." He whispered into her ear. She blushed.

"I love you too. Now shut up and lets get some sleep." Ash grinned.

"Yes, master." She smacked him with a pillow. Ash retaliated and soon a pillowfight was in full force. Pikachu sighed. They'll never get to sleep.....

Meanwhile, back at the bottom of the cliff..... a few rocks began to shift.... moving ever so slightly... crumbling and falling away from the top of the pile..... until a chewed-up looking hand burst through the rubble.....

Epilogue: Brock's body was never found. Police officials are still baffled as to where it may be... the only evidence remaining was the poke ball containing Vulpix, who was returned to her original trainer, Suzie. Ash and Misty continued their journey together... alone together. (unless you count the pokies!) They made sure that they stayed away from the spot where all that had happened forever... and they vowed never to let another "third wheel" join them. Their journeys continued to bring them closer together.... guess ya could say they lived happily ever after! Hey, with Brock being gone and Ash and Misty together, how could you not have a happy ending? ^_^

The End (?)

Yay! I'm finally done! Actually, I feel kinda sad... oh well, I'm sure you people are all really happy. About that ending- I'm really not planning on writing a sequel, I just wanted to creep you out a little. ^-^ Why don'tcha all use your imaginations? I'm really glad that I got so much positive feedback from peeps, thanks to all of you who reviewed (and who will review, just incase I get more ^-^). I'd also like to thank my sister Elise, for helping me when I was stumped, my beloved cat Tiger, for keeping me company during all those lonely hours I spent typing, and of course, the entire cast of pokemon who appeared in this fic! (except for Brock, b/c I hate him.) If any of you are artists out there, I'd really think it would be cool if someone could make an illustration or two for this story. Ya don't hafta, just thought I'd suggest. Just one more thing to anyone who's still reading.... Just remember, the next time you see Misty go over to tug on Brock's ear, or the next time you notice she's not acting herself, or too meek..... remember the Master Plan. Mwuahahahahahaa!!! (I know I suck at the evil laugh.) Bye now!!


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